LAHORE: Vision Alliance has won 12 of the 15 Executive Committee seats in the Corporate Class of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), according to provisional results. The rival PPBA Alliance won the other three seats.
More than 19,000 voters are casting their ballots today for the Associate Class seats. This is the second and final day of the two-day election.
Election commission members Khalid Gujjar and Haris Atiq announced the provisional results.
Vision Alliance’s presidential candidate, Ali Hussam, came first with 1,700 votes. Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim was second with 1,638.
The other successful Vision Alliance candidates were Hamid Raza with 1,605 votes, Yousuf Rizvi with 1,588 votes, Azeem Iftikhar with 1,585 votes, Syed Mardan Ali Zaidi with 1,570 votes, Tariq Mahmood with 1,562 votes, Zulfiqar Chaudhry with 1,549 votes, Hammad Mahmood with 1,544 votes, Chaudhry Farghaam with 1,541 votes, Muhammad Ali with 1,535 votes, and Umar Abdullah with 1,512 votes.
The three PPBA Alliance winners were Tahir Manzoor Chaudhry (1,478 votes), Amir Atta Bari (1,460) and Hamza Majeed (1,455).
The result has been challenged. PPBA Alliance chairman Mian Anjum Nisar has raised concerns about how the votes were counted. The alliance’s candidates have formally asked the election commission for a recount.
The election commission says the election record has been sealed. This was done in the presence of observers from the Directorate General of Trade Organisations (DGTO), the government body that regulates chambers and trade associations.
This year’s election had already been disputed before polling began. On September 22, the Lahore High Court (LHC) disposed of a petition challenging the conduct of the LCCI elections after the parties reached an agreement on the disputed issues. The court was informed that the elections would be held on the scheduled dates of September 23 and 24 at the chamber’s office.
Polling for the Associate Class began at 9am and is scheduled to run without a break until 8pm. The Associate Class has a much larger electorate than the Corporate Class. The outcome today will decide which group controls the chamber’s leadership for the new term.
The LCCI is one of Pakistan’s largest and most influential business chambers. It represents thousands of manufacturers, traders, exporters and service firms, and its office-bearers regularly present the business community’s views on taxation, energy prices and trade policy to federal and provincial governments.
This year’s campaign was seen as one of the most competitive in recent memory. Established business groups faced a strong challenge from a newly formed coalition. Traders are currently worried about fuel costs and the proposed petroleum-saving measures, which has raised the stakes for whoever leads the chamber.
Final results for both classes are expected after polling closes tonight. The decision on the recount request is still pending.
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